HAWAII PADDLE SPORTS

“Your PRIVATE alternative for ocean activities on Maui” If going out on a large diesel burning boat isn’t your ideal way of experiencing Maui’s marine environment, perhaps we are! At Hawaiian Paddle Sports we’ll keep you away from the large crowds and thus not disturb the marine life we are visiting. Choose from SUP (Stand Up paddleboard), Ocean Kayaks or a Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe to get you there! We offer Surf Lessons also :)

Beach/Reef Clean Ups, Re-usable stainless steel water bottles rather than single use plastic bottles, “no touch” policy with all marine life, only offer Private tours- no large groups, Offer a Bio-degradeable sunblock on all tours. No “Reef Walker” shoes for surf lessons.

HAWAII PADDLE SPORTS CERTIFICATION HIGHLIGHTS

2Years

There is a clear commitment by your company to share both culture and ecology with guests. I loved the beginning of the tour, where they explained the HPS slogan on the shirts. I would recommend adding that slogan to your website and sharing it there too.

Great job reaching out to guests beforehand and telling them you have reef safe sunscreen for sale, or recommended having guests wear swim shirts. Also really nice how you provide reusable water bottles for guests to use while on tour.

Your guides genuinely enjoyed their jobs, seemed excited to work for HPS, and really appreciated all the training that was made available to them.

Your guides were a wealth of knowledge about Hawaiian history and ecology, but also were willing to admit what they didn’t know and looked it up later. They also tried to dispel stories that were not true. The practice of secret shopping and sending cultural experts on the trips is a great practice.

Your reviews on TripAdvisor were fantastic, and I liked how you provided a link in your follow up email to seek feedback.

We use stainless steel water bottles rather than single use plastic water bottles on our tours.

We do not transport guests. When we have multiple guides working at the same location they take one vehicle rather than each taking their own.

STAFF MANAGEMENT

All our guides go through certification courses when hired. In addition we offer to pay for half of any "job related' (cultural, environment, marine) classes they wish to take at UH Maui or other institutions.All guides are taking FII Free Diver Level 1 certification course next week which is really about safety and rescue while free diving. This is paid for by the company.

Excellent

Good

Adequate

Excellent

Good

Adequate

INTERPRETATION MANAGEMENT

We do educate guest on fragility of marine world.
Our guides call in whale entanglements and Monk seal sightings to NOAA.
We participate in the Eyes On The Reef program.

We attend cultural training with Clifford Nae'ole at Ritz Carlton as well as Hookipa Me Ke Aloha at Old Lahaina Luau.

Our guides are Certified Marine Naturalists and lead an interactive reef tour. Also we use teaching tools prior to our tours to help educate our guests about marine life we will see. During whale season we use a to scale Humpback Whale teaching tool. During summer months we use "Hawaii's Reef and Fish" book to show and educate guests on marine life we will see while snorkeling.

Also Iokepa Nae'ole is the cultural advisor for Hawaiian Canoe Canoe Club. In addition we've taken Keli'i Brown from Maui Visitor Bureau out on our cultural canoe tour to audit the tour and provide feedback.Books and training materials are readily available to guides.

Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawaii Needs You

STAH is a member based 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization run by volunteers. Our mission is to protect Hawaii’s unique natural environment and culture.